Father of Mine
by Cath4
Summary: 15 year old Bethany never knew her father. When her mother gets sick, though, she tells Bethany she wants Bethany to live with her father.
1. The Call

Prolouge:  
  
Bethany Roberts never knew her father. Her mother was the only parent she ever knew. At night or when she was bored she was imagine what he looked like and how he acted. She would fantasize about the things she would do with her father. She even secretly had a book full of pictures of men she wished were her father. Most of the men in it were from catalouges. Men holding babies or playing with kids. She would wish she were that child. When she watched tv shows she would imagine she were one of the kids and the things that happened to them happened to her. In the end she always had a heart felt discussion with her dad where he would hug her and tell her how much he loved her. But then she was pulled back to reality and have to face the truth. When she was 13 she gave up on her fantasies and decided to live with knowing her father would never come find her.   
  
Chapter 1:  
  
Bethany woke up quite suddenly. She looked around and nothing looked familiar. Then it all came flooding back. She was in the hospital . . . her mom had cancer . . . she was dieing. It all hit her like a ton of bricks. She looked over at her mother and said quietly, "Mom? Are you awake?" When her mother didn't answer Bethany got up to get some breakfast from the cafeteria. She exited the room and walked through the hallways until she found herself in the cafeteria. It was a big room with lots of tables. But only a few people were there. Two boys sat in one corner playing a gameboy, a fatheer and daughter eating a sullen breakfast together and a group of nurses piling their trays to deliver breakfast to their patients. Bethany grabbed a bagel and cream cheese from the buffet and sat down at a table. She ate breakfast alone wishing her mom would get better.   
  
When she got back to her mom's room she saw her mom was awake, "Hey mom." She said, "How ya' feeling?". She sat down next to her mom.   
  
"Not too good. Sweetheart, I'm not going to be around much longer. . ."  
  
Bethany interrupted her, "Mom, don't . . "  
  
"Beth, we're going to have to talk about it sometime. Soon I'm going to be gone and you'll have nowhere to go. So, I need to tell you about your father." Bethany gasped to herself. Her mom never brought up the subject of her dad before. Her mom went on to tell Bethany that her father lived in California, not far from where Bethany and her mom lived, he was married with kids. She told Bethany about how her and her father met and why they broke up and answered all of Bethany's questions. She ended with, "I want you to call your father and set up a time to meet. I want him to take care of you when I'm gone."  
  
Bethany's bottom lip quivered when she thought of her mom dead. She didn't want to live with her father who she barely knew. He sounded like a creepy guy, too. He cheated on his wife with Bethany's mom. That fact made Bethany feel bad. Her mom was 'the other woman'. What would her step mom, or her dad even, say when they met? It all made her not want to meet him even more. But it was what her mom wanted so she said, "Okay. I'll call him today."  
  
"Call him now, please." Bethany nodded and went in search of the nurses station. When she found it she said, "May I please use your phone and a phonebook?" The Director of Nurses said it was okay and Bethany looked up her father's number. She slowly dialed it and took a deep breath as it rung.   
  
A girl answered and said, "Hello? Camden residence."  
  
Bethany could barely think when she said, "Hi, may I please speak with Eric?" She some how remembered the manners her mother taught her.  
  
The girl told her to hold on while she found Eric. When he answered the phone he said, "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, my name is Bethany Roberts. If it's okay I would like to set up a time when we could meet. I have something I need to tell you."  
  
Eric took a minute to reply, "Um . . . yes, that's fine. Is tonight okay with you?"  
  
"Tonight?!" Bethany thought to herself. She politely said, "Yes, tonight's fine. Where should we meet and at what time?"  
  
"How about at my church at 8:00?" Bethany agreed and he gave her directions to the church. When she hung up she couldn't believe what was going to happen that night. She was terrified and excited at the same time. She walked back to her mother's room on wobbly legs and imagined how her meeting with her father would go. 


	2. Dad

Chapter 2:  
  
At 7 'o clock that night Bethany was in the apartment she shared with her mom getting ready to meet her dad. She had to get on the bus in fifteen minutes and then she'd have to walk the rest of the way to the church. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, "Not great . . ." She thought to herself, "but good enough". She grabbed her wallet, stuffed it in her pocket, and walked down to the bus stop. She was waiting for less than five minutes before the bus got there. Sitting in the back of the bus Bethany thought about her father. Going back to her fantasies about him . . .thinking about what he looked like and how he talked. She thought about her mom, lying in a hospital bed wanting Bethany to meet her dad. The bus stopped and Bethany started walking down the sidewalk to the church.   
  
It took her about 20 minutes to find the place and then 5 more to find Eric's office. Once she was outside she took a deep breathe and knocked on the closed door. Someone called, "Come in!" And Bethany timidly walked in. Sitting at the desk was a man who looked to be about 25. "That can't be him!" She thought to herself. She was silent for a minute until the man said, "Can I help you?"  
  
Bethany regained her composure and said, "Yes, I'm looking for Rev. Camden. You're not him, are you?"  
  
The man chukkled and said, "No, my name is Chandler, I'm the Associate Pastor. Are you Bethany?"  
  
"How did you know my name?"  
  
"Eric called and told me to tell you he'd be a little late." Chandler replied, "You can have seat and wait for him if you want."  
  
Bethany sat down in the seat Chandler pointed to and said,"Thanks."   
  
"So, why are you meeting Rev. Camden?" Chandler asked in a tone that suggested suspicion.  
  
"Umm . . ." Bethany tried to think of what she should say. "Oh he's my father but he doesn't know about me."? She didn't think that would be the best answer. So instead she said, "We just have something to talk about." Bethany was glad Chandler left it at that.  
  
15 minutes passed by until Eric got to the church. Bethany couldn't see him because her chair wasn't facing the door. She could only hear him. He was saying, "I'm so sorry I'm late. I had a little car trouble. Um . . .Chandler would you excuse us?"  
  
"Sure." Chandler got up and left. Bethany closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes Eric was just sitting down in his chair. He was tall with brown hair that seemed to be receding. He looked very nice, but not like any of the men from Bethany's book. "Are you Bethany?" He asked her once he was sitting down. Bethany nodded. Before she could say anything he said, "Do I know you? You look really familiar."  
  
Bethany swallowed trying to get the lump out of her throat, "Um . . .no. But, you know my mom. Laura Roberts?"  
  
Eric's face suddenly changed. He looked more curious now, "That's it. You look just like your mom. How is she?"  
  
"She's actually not doing too good. She's in the hospital with cancer."  
  
Eric's face was now sympathetic now along with curious, "Oh, I'm sorry. That must be hard for you."  
  
"Yeah, it kind of is." Bethany again took a deep breath and said, "Umm. . . she wanted me to call you and tell you something for her." Eric didn't flinch. He just kept watching her. So she continued, "She um . . . she wanted me to tell that . . .um . . . you're . . . she . . ." Bethany wanted to cry. She couldn't stand having to be the one to tell Eric she was his daughter. How are you supposed to tell a man that? She stopped stuttering and breathed in a few times after realizing she wasn't breathing.  
  
Eric smiled at her and said, "It's okay. Take your time." Bethany couldn't help smiling when he said that. He was patient and understanding. Two of the qualities her imaginary dad had.   
  
She closed her eyes for a second, opened them, and said, "She wantedme to tell you that . . ." She closed her eyes again, "You have a daughter with . . . with her." She wouldn't open her eyes. She didn't want to see his reaction. But when he didn't speak for a while she opened them to make sure he hadn't passed out or anything.  
  
"And . . ." Eric tried to register what Bethany had just said. "you're . . . her?" Bethany slowly nodded, "Why . . . Why didn't your mother tell me before?"  
  
Bethany shrugged, "I don't know. I think she didn't want to disrupt your life anymore than she already had."  
  
"She didn't want to disrupt my life? I have a dughter that I didn't know about for fifteen years! Telling me wouldn't have been a disruption!" Eric said quite loudly.  
  
"But . . .but . . ." Bethany was getting closer and closer to tears, "she was only trying to keep your family from, like . . . like a fight or something that ruin your family." The more she went on the more she felt like crying.   
  
Eric sat down in the chair next to Bethany. He put his anger at Laura aside and said, "Don't cry. It's okay. Everything's okay."  
  
Bethany was in tears by now, "No, it's not!" She cried, "You're mad at me and my mom and my mom's going to die soon and I'll e all alone! Everything's not okay!"  
  
Eric put his arm on her shoulder, "I'm not mad at you." Bethany looked at him as if to say yeah right, "I'm not. And I'm not mad at Laura, either. I'm just a little frustrated. I don't know why she thought it would be a disruption for her to tell me about you." Eric looked Bethany in the eye, "And you're not going to be alone. I can promise you that. You'll come live with me when . . . when you're mom. . ."   
  
Bethany was still crying when she said, "Just like that? You're just going to accept me as part of your family?"  
  
Eric said,"Yeah. Just like that." He gave her a long hug and said, "Don't cry anymore . . .please?" But Bethany couldn't. She couldn't stop the tears. She was happy and sad and scared and in desbelief all the same time. Eric wasn't like any of the men Bethany thought could be her dad. He was old and balding but he was better then she could have imagined. How many guys would have just accepted her like that? She was still scared, but not bearly as much as before. 


	3. Reactions

Chapter 3-  
  
Eric left the church at 9:30 that night. He was in shock. Not because he had a dughter (though, that was a big part of it) but because Laura hadn't told him about Bethany. Once he got over the intital shock, about half way home, he started worrying how the family would react. Would the be as accepting as him? Would Annie hate him forever? She already knew about the affair, and she was mad at him for months after that. How would she react to Eric telling her about Bethany? And the kids? Would they hate Bethany? Eric and Annie would have to tell all the kids what Eric had done so many years before. Would they be mad at Eric and take it out on Bethany? Eric pulled into the driveway and saw all the lights still on. He didn't know if he should glad or dissapointed about that. He slowly made his way into the house and saw Martin and Cecilia, two neighbours of the Camdens, on the way. "Hey Rev. Camden." Martin, who lived with the Camdens, said.   
  
"Hi Martin. Cecilia." Eric said looking distraught.  
  
"Are you okay? You look kind of funny." Cecilia asked seeming like she really cared.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Eric did his trademark laugh, "Just a little bit surprised. I'll see you two later." The two teenagers said goodbye and Eric walked into the kitchen. No one was in it, a very odd thing, so he went in search of Annie. He found her in their bedroom reading.   
  
"Oh, how was your meeting?" Annie asked him when he walked in.  
  
Eric sat down on his side of the bed and said, "Interesting."  
  
Annie sat up in the bad and said, "That's all? Just interesting? What did she want?" Annie was reffering to Bethany, of course.  
  
"Funny you should mention that." Eric smiled, "She wanted to tell me something about . . . her mother."  
  
"Why did she tell you? Why couldn't she tell someone she knew?"  
  
"Well, that's the thing. . ." Eric was interrupted by Ruthie, his 14 year old (and youngest) daughter.  
  
Ruthie walked through the opend door and said, "Mom? Can I go to Peter's tomorrow to work on a school project?"  
  
Annie was about to say yes when Eric suddenly said, "No." Annie and Ruthie looked at him oddly and he continued, "We're going to have some company tomorrow and I want everyone to meet her."  
  
Ruthie asked, "Who's coming over?"  
  
"Someone I had a meeting with tonight." Ruthie nodded and turned to leave. Eric called to her, "And you can tell everyone that." Ruthie was known to tell people thingsof importance.  
  
"Why is she coming over tomorrow?" Annie asked, obviously curious.  
  
"Well," Eric sort of chukkled and grimaced at the same time, "I want her to meet the family. And she wants to, also."  
  
"Eric, what do you know that you aren't telling me?"  
  
Eric stood up and looked out the window, realizing how hard it must have been for bethany to tell him she was his daughter. "She, Bethany, wants to meet the family because she's . . . family."  
  
Annie looked surprised and pleased, "Really? How is she family?"  
  
"Well," Eric looked at Annie now, "She's my daughter." Annie was so shocked she didn't move. Her mouth was open and she was staring blankly ahead. Eric sat on the bed and put his heand on her shoulders, "Annie? Don't be mad."  
  
"Don't be mad? You don't want me to be mad? You just told me you have a daughter I didn't know about and you don't want me to be mad?" Annie screeched.  
  
Eric took his hands off Annie's shoulders and said, "I couldn't have told you. I didn't even know about her!."   
  
~*~ Simon's Room~*~  
  
"Simon!" Ruthie called to her brother. Simon had just come back for his summer vacation from college the day before, "You're never going to believe this."  
  
Simon looked at her and said, "You're probably right so why not save us both the time and go tell someone else." Ruthie rolled her eyes. Simon was in a bad mood because Cecilia used to be his girlfriend. But the summer before tore them apart. Simon was in denial and depressed because he hit a guy with his car. It wasn't Simon's fault but he, and the rest of Glenoak, blamed him. Anyway, Cecilia started dating Martin soon after Simon left and he had just found out. "Fine," Ruthie said, "But when you meet dad's other daughter don't be surprised you're the only one that doesn't know about her." Ruthie turned and left to go find Martin and Cecilia. She heard Simon following her and he caught up with her when she was outside in front of Martin and Cecilia.  
  
"Did you just say dad has anoter daughter?" Simon asked her.  
  
Martin and Cecilia looked shocked (they were both wearing the same expression Annie had). Cecilia was the first to speak,"Whoa, what?"   
  
"That's right. Dad has another daughter. And I don't mean me, Mary or Lucy. One mom didn't know about." Ruthie directed her sentence to Martin and Cecilia.  
  
"How do you know?" Simon asked bending down a little. It was how he always stood when he was talking to Ruthie.  
  
"Because when I was walking up to my room I heard mom yell at dad for not telling her he had another daughter."  
  
"Wow." Martin added to the conversation, "That's so wierd. Like some screwed up tv show. Where everyone always has problems."  
  
Ruthie said sarcastically, "Sounds a lot like our family."  
  
Cecilia, the reasonable one, said, "Are you sure you heard your mom right, Ruthie?"  
  
From out of the darkness someone said, "Sure you heard mom say what right?" It turned out to be Ruthie and Simon's sister Lucy.  
  
"Dad has another daughter that no one knew about until tonight!" Ruthie explaining despretly.  
  
When Lucy walked into the light everyone saw she wasn't alone. Her husband Kevin was there. Kevin was a cop for the Glenoak P.D. He interjected, "I think you've had a little too much sugar tonight. Now come on. Lucy and I have something to tell everyone." 


	4. Anouncement

Chapter 4-  
  
Lucy and Kevin lead Cecilia, Martin, Simon and Ruthie into the living room. They had just told everyone they had a surprise for them. Everyone was pretty sure what it was. They just kept quiet so Lucy and Kevin could tell them. Lucy told them she'd be right back and went upstairs to get her parents and Sam and David, her younger twin brothers. She got the twins first then they headed to Eric and Annie's room. Lucy heard them shouting through the closed door. She knocked on it and said, "Mom? Dad? Can we come in?"  
  
The door opened and Annie appeared, "Is it important, Luce?" She asked.  
  
"Well, sort of. Kevin and I wanted to tell everyone something. But if your busy I can tell you later, though."  
  
Eric appeared behind Annie, "We'll be down in a minute."   
  
Lucy smiled and said, "Okay." She grabbed the twins' hands the three of them walked down the stairs together. When they entered the living room they saw Ruthie talking, again, about this daughter of their fathers. "Ruthie will you just give it up?"   
  
Before Ruthie could answer Eric and Annie walked into the room, "So what do you want to tell us, Luce?" Annie asked.  
  
"Well." She let go of the twins' hands and walked over to Kevin who put his arm around her, "Kevin and I are . . ." She looked up to Kevin for help getting the words out.  
  
"We're going to have a baby." Kevin finished. Everyone was quiet for a second. They all knew what Kevin was going to say before he said it but they pretended to be shocked and surprised at the same time.  
  
"That's great, sweetheart." Annie told her, "Congratulations."She hugged Lucy and then Kevin. Everyone did the same in turn.   
  
After the congratulating Eric said, "I actually have an anouncment to make, too." Everyone stopped and looked at him, "I . . . I . . ."  
  
Ruthie cut him off, "You have another daughter, right? One no one knew about until tonight?!"  
  
"H . . .how did you know I was going to say that?" Eric asked her.  
  
Ruthie shrugged and said, "I heard you and mom fighting when I was going up to my room. I heard mom say you had a daughter no one knew about."  
  
"You mean it's true?" Kevin asked looking surprised.  
  
"Unfortunatly it is. And we all have to meet her tomorrow. So don't make any plans." Annie said.  
  
Eric sighed to himself, "Please make her feel welcome. Her mom is dying of cancer and she has no one but us."  
  
"Whatever." Simon mumbled and went up to his room.  
  
Annie took the twins' hands and said, "Why don't I put you two to bed. It's getting late." She turned to Eric and said, "You'll be sleeping on the couch tonight." And she left the room.  
  
"I think I should be going." Cecilia said, "I'll see you later." She said to Martin and kissed him.  
  
"Why don't I walk you home." He replied.  
  
Eric was just standing in a corner feeling like everyone was mad at him when Ruthie walked over to him and said, "Don't worry, dad. Everyone will get used to her." And she went up to her room.   
  
"Well, we better be going too." Kevin added. Lucy hugged Eric and said goodbye then she and Kevin left. Eric felt depressed. No one seemed like they even wanted to see Bethany. He prayed silently that they would be nice to her tomorrow.  
  
~*~The Hospital The Next Morning~*~  
  
Bethany walked into her mom's hospital room shaking but more confident then she was last night. Her mom was lying in bed asleep looking worse then ever. Bethany knew her mom was going to die soon. She started to cry but stopped immediatly knowing it would make her mother feel bad. But Bethany couldn't help thinking that this could be the last time she saw her mother alive. "Mom?" She asked. Her mother didn't move. Not even open an eye. "Oh my gosh, mom? Are you okay?!"  
  
"Bethy? No, I'm fine. I'm sorry to have scared you." She said weakly. It didn't even sound like her mom.  
  
Bethany smiled, "It's okay, mom." The night before Bethany had told her mom all about her dad and their meeting, "I'm about to leave for . . . " She didn't know what to call her dad. Did she call him Dad? No. That didn't fit. Rev. Camden? No. Too formal. Eric? Maybe. . .   
  
"Eric's house?" Her mom finished for her.  
  
"Yeah." Bethany hugged her mom, "Bye mom. I love you."  
  
Laura hugged her with all her strength, which wasn't much, "I love you more." She said, "Tell Eric I said hi."  
  
"Okay." Bethany smiled and giggled a little. She left the room and slumped against the wall. This couldn't be happeneing. Her mom couldn't be dieing. The whole time her mom was in the hospital Bethany knew she was going to die. But she didn't think it would actually happen. As twisted as that sounds, she didn't. She let a few tears fall but quikly wiped them away and rode down the elevator, got on the bus, and went to Erics. 


	5. Family

Chapter 5-  
  
Bethany stood in front of Eric's house afraid of what was going to happen in just a few short seconds. She wanted to be accepted by everyone. Especially Eric's wife. She was the one person Bethany felt that she needed acceptance from. She reached her finger out and pushed the doorbell, "At least I'll have one friend." She thought to herself. She waited for what seemed like an hour until someone opened the door. It was a girl a little bit shorter then Bethany with long, straight, brown hair, "Hi." Behany said shakily, "I'm Bethany."   
  
"Hi. I'm Ruthie. You can come in." Ruthie moved to the side and Bethany entered the house. It was a nice big house. Hopefully with nice people in it. Ruthie closed the door and said, as five boys came down the stairs with one girl, "That's Simon, Martin, Cecilia, Peter, Sam and David." Bethany said Hi to all of them very quietly. She was really nervous now that more peoplewere comiong into the foyer.  
  
"Hi." A girl said coming out of a hallway straight in front of Bethany with a man, "I'm Lucy and this is my husband Kevin."  
  
"Hi." Lucy just looked nice. She made Bethany relax a little, "I'm Bethany."   
  
Eric came in the foyer and hugged Bethany then said, "Why don't we all go into the living room." So they all moved through two sliding doors into the living room. It looked . . . lived in. Those were the only words that cam to mind when Bethany thought how she'd describe it to her mom. They all sat down and indured a few awkward moments until Bethany said, "Do all of you live here?" The house looked big but not that big.  
  
Everyone laughed at that question, "No." Lucy said, "Kevin and I live down the street. And so do Peter and Cecilia."  
  
"Yeah," Said the boy Bethany thought to be Simon, though she wasn't very sure, "And I'm on my summer break from college. The rest of the time I'm gone."  
  
The boy that didn't look like anyone else, Martin, Bethany thought, piped in, "Yeah, and I just moved in because my dad's in Iraq."   
  
"You mean you're not all my half- brothers and sisters?" Again everyone laughed.  
  
"Nope." Kevin was talking now. bethany could remember his name because he was the only man there other then Eric, "Lucy, Simon, Ruthie, Sam and David are. I'm married to Lucy so I am too."  
  
Simon added, "And we have another older brother and sister who are also married. Matt and Mary."  
  
All Bethany could say was, "Wow." Then she thought to erself, "How the heck can I remeber all this?" Itseemed likethings were going good so far. Everyone seemed nice.  
  
Lucy asked her, "Do you want me to show you around?" The question Bethany was waiting anxiously for someone to ask. She wanted to see the house and hopefully get glimpse sometime of Eric's wife. Who she hadn't met yet.  
  
"Please." She said to Lucy.  
  
They first went through the first floor. It was really big to Bethany who had lived in an apartment her whole life. When they were walking up the sairs Bethany asked Lucy, "Um . . . where's your mom?"  
  
Lucy kind of got squirmy, "She's in her room."   
  
"Let me guess," Bethany said with a smile, "She doesn't want to meet me because she's mad at Eric?"  
  
Lucy half smiled, "Yeah. She really is nice. She's just very stubborn." Lucy showed her the rest of the house and when she got to one door she said, "This is Simon's room but you'll probably be staying her when he's gone. For the summer, though, you'll be in Ruthie's room." Ruthie's room was Bethany's favorite out of them all. It was in the attic and when you walked up the stiars you went right into her closet. Then in the rest of the room the walls were slanted and it was yellow with blue and pink in it. It was really cool. The wierdest room out of them all was Martins. It was pink with Hello Kitty stuff all over it. Lucy said the room started out as hers and Mary's and then it was Ruthie's and that's where all the Hello Kitty stuff came from. By now Bethany and Lucy were back in the living room. The only other person there was Ruthie. Bethany asked them, "Could you guys tell me who everyone is again? I kind of forget."  
  
Ruthie smiled, "That doesn't surprise me. There's so many people here." She walked over to the mantle and pointed to a picture of a guy with somewhat long brown hair and brown eyes, "This is Matt. He's our brother but he lives in New York with his wife Sarah. This is Mary. She's our sister. She also lives in New York but with her husband Carlos." Ruthie then proceeded to go down the line of pictures showing Bethany who everyone was. The day went by quickly. Bethany was having a lot of fun. The Camdens were all very accepting and fun to be around. All except Annie. Bethany had seen her once the whole time she was there and that was when Annie went down to the kitchen for something to eat. Annie saw Bethany and stared at her for a minute then grabbed a snack and headed back upstairs muttering to herself.  
  
When Bethany left everyone gathered in the living room to discuss her. Lucy said,, "She was pretty cool. It was as bad as I thought it would be."  
  
"Yeah, and she was really nice." Ruthie added. Ruthie and Lucy had spent the most time with Bethany.   
  
Eric smiled, "So you all like her?" Everyone said yes in one way or another.  
  
"She seemed kind of quiet, though. Kind of like she didn't want to be here."  
  
Kevin replied, "Considering why she's here I can see why she wouldn't want to be. She was probably excited to meet all of us but sad ad mad at the same time that her mom is dying."  
  
Ruthie was qiet thinking about Bethany. She looked up to Bethany for being so brave. Coming to her dad's house whom she had never met. Meeting the family. That would be a scary thing to do. Ruthie thought about what Bethany must have thought about the family. It would be a scary and confusing thing to do. With all the people in the house trying to remeber who everyone was wile trying to stay calm and be friendly. 


	6. Mom?

Chapter 6-  
  
Bethany slowly made her way into her mom's hospital room. She just got dropped off by her dad downstairs and couldn't wait to tell her mom everything that happened. She stopped just outside the curtain dividing the room and smiled to herself. For some reason she felt happy. Safe, and secure. She stepped around the curtain and stopped dead in her tracks. Her mom wasn't in her bed! Bethany almost started crying as she ran from the room and tried to find a nurse. She ran to the nurses station and said, "My mother's not in her room! Where's my mom?!" Bethany was panicking as the nurse asked what room her mom was in. Bethany answered, "Room 240. Please, you have to find her!" The nurse tried to give her some comforting words but Bethany couldn't even hear her. It sounded as if water was roaring around in her ears. So loud she couldn't even hear herself think. The nurse who was calling someone looked up and behin Bethany. She said something and pointed. Bethany turned around and there in front of her was her mom. Bethany started crying her eyes out. Her mom was walking! She was walking around like nothing had happened. She had an IV and was wearing a hospital gown but other then that she looked like she always did. She even had make up on! "Mom!" Bethany cried. She ran over to her mom and wrapped her arms around her, "Mom . . . how . . ."  
  
"Shh." Her mom said, "Let's get a cup of coffee and talk." They walked through the halls with their arms around each other. Bethany was still crying but not nearly as much. The roaring in her ears stopped almost completely and she was happy. She was with her mom, walking to get a cup of coffee. Bethany never thought she's being doing this again. She and her mom would walk to the coffee shop down the street every Saturday night and got a coffee. It was almost like that now. They got their coffee, sat at a table and started talking.  
  
"Mom, you're walking!" Bethany said.  
  
"I noticed." Her mom siad with a smile.  
  
Bethany didn't smile. She was happy, but she didn't smile, "But how?"  
  
"You know I was told I probably wouldn't walk again, right?". Bethany nodded, "Well, today I decided I wasn't going to let that happen. So I got up and started walking."  
  
Bethany smiled now. She couldn't believe her mom was walking! She was right. It was a miracle. The two of them sat around talking and drinking coffee for a while and finally decided to head back to the room Laura was staying in. "Beth, honey, I'm sorry. I completley gorgot. How was your day at your fathers?"  
  
"Oh, it was fun. I met my brothers and sisters . . . some of them. Did you know he has nine kids including me?!"  
  
Laura smiled, "No, I didn't."  
  
"And," Bethany continued, "I think I remember ll of their names. There's Matt, Mary, Lucy . . . Simon. Then me. Ruthie, Sam and David. And there is this other guy living there, too. His name is Martin. I don't really know why he's living there. They may have told me but I forget."  
  
Laura looked shocked, "So there are eleven people living there?! Nine of them being kids?"  
  
"No," Bethany laughed, "Matt and Mary live in New York with their husband and wife. Lucy lives down the street with her husband. Simon lives in a dorm at his college . . . but he's home for the summer. And Ruthie, Sam, and David live there all the time. So there are only six people living there four being kids."  
  
"Oh, okay. And soon there will be five."  
  
Bethany stopepd smiling and laughing, "You . . . you mean I still have to live with them?"  
  
"Of course you do!" Laura smiled now, "Just because I'm walking doesn't mean I'm cured. I'm still very sick."  
  
"But you're getting better. Maybe you could come home and I can take care of you."  
  
Laura put her arm on Bethany's shoulders, "Beth, I'm sorry. I don't want to put that responsibility on you. I'll be just fine staying here and you'll be better off with your father." Bethany nodded hoping her mom would change her moind. Bethnay was starting to love her dad. And she really liked his family, except Annie, but she still loved her mom more.She wanted to stay with her mom and help her get better. She wondered if she would even be allowed to visit her mom the way Annie seemed.   
  
~*~The Next Morning at the Camden's~*~  
  
Walking past her parents bedroom Ruthie Camden heard her mom talking about Bethany again. And how much she hated Bethany and Eric and Bethany's mom. Ruthie didn't understand why Annie hated Bethany. Ruthie thought she was pretty cool. She could understand why her mom was mad at Laura . . . but not Eric. Eric didn't do anything wrong that they hadn't already dealt with. She found all thecourage in her body and walked into her parent's bedroom, "Mom," She asked, "Why do you hate Bethany and Dad?" She said nothing more. Just that one queston.  
  
"Because." Her mom answered viciously, a way she had never spoken to Ruthie before, "Because Bethany is a remindfer of your father's stupid behavior. And your father is just stupid!" Annie stormed out of the room leaving Ruthie and Eric looking slightly confused and shocked.  
  
"She is so infuriating!" Eric said and he, also, stormed out of the room. Ruthie knew what lie ahead. they would soon become a dysfunctional family. She would go from one parent to another . . . both of them alway fighting. Unless . . . unless Bethany dissapeared. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Bethany had told her Laura was close to death. Ruthie had to find a way. 


	7. Recruiting

_Sorry it's been so long. Over 4 months . . . wow. Didn't realize it was that long ago. Anyway, I'm hoping to finish this soon. Without another long break. Sorry about that.  
  
Mudd1: In one episode, I can't remember which one at the moment, Eric and Annie were having a fight. It was when the twins were still babies and he said something derogatory to Annie. If that hadn't happened I never would have written Eric saying Annie was infuriating.  
_  
Chapter 7-  
  
Ruthie needed a brilliant plan. One that would get rid of Bethany but wouldn't upset her father. She didn't want to hurt him, she just wanted things like they were before. So she had to call in reinforcments. She called up Peter and asked him to come over. It was probably stupid having him know first. He'd try to talk her out of it, she knew. But he probably wouldn't push too hard. He knew what it was like having your parents divorced. She knew he'd help.  
  
When he arrived at the Camden's front door Ruthie pulled him in and they ran up to her attic bedroom. "What's going on?" Peter asked bewildered.  
  
"Bethany has to go! She's ruining the family. Mom hates her and is mad at dad and dad is mad at mom. It's a mess. So, will you help me or not?" Ruthie practically screamed at him.  
  
"Woah. Ruthie, what do you mean she has to go?"  
  
Ruthie shrugged her shoulders and sat on the bed, "I don't know, yet. I need your help working out a plan so she won't move in with us."  
  
"But won't your dad be upset if she doesn't move in?"  
  
Ruthie rolled her eyes, "Peter, come on! That's not important. He'll be miserable for the rest of his life if Bethany does move in. She could break up my parents. We could move far away. Do you really want to see that happen? How would you feel if my family and I moved thousands of miles away knowing you could have stopped it."  
  
Peter sighed and sat down next to her, "I'd feel horrible." Ruthie stared at him and he stared at the wall, "So, what ideas do you have so far?"  
  
"Yes! Thank you, Peter!" She hugged him tight. When she let go she said, "We're going to need more than just you and me if we're going to really do this. So I was narrowing down the list of helpers while I waited for you to ge here. Kevin won't help because he's a cop and too moral. Lucy won't help because she doesn't know how really bad things are between my parents. Then there's Simon. I think we could get him to help if we use the right tactic."  
  
"Like what?" Peter asked. Ruthie smiled at him then got up and ran from the room, Peter followed. They ran downstairs and into Simon's room but he wasn't there. So they searched the second floor, then the first. In the kitchen they saw Martin who, after they asked if he knew Simon was, said he was on the back porch. They ran outside and found Simon sitting on the side of the porch with Eric.  
  
"Dad? Can we talk to Simon alone?" Ruthie asked.  
  
Eric stood up and said in the flat tone he'd been using all day, "Yeah, sure. I'll go inside and avoid your mother."  
  
Once Eric was inside Ruthie sat next to Simon and Peter sat next to Ruthie, "What do you two want?"  
  
"Do you like Bethany?" Ruthie asked.  
  
"She's okay. Mom's really mad at her and dad, though."  
  
"Exactly. You don't like that, do you? Having the reality of divorce hanging right in front of your face." Ruthie said dramatically.  
  
Simon rolled his eyes and smiled a little, "Ruthie, what are you up to?"  
  
Ruthie hunched over a little, "Okay, here's the thing. If Bethany hadn't come along mom and dad wouldn't be fighting. And if she leaves they won't be figting. So Peter and I want to come up with a plan that will get her to not move in."  
  
"Yeah, right." Simon said getting up, "I'm not helping with your stupid little plan." He walked to the door.  
  
"Fine. But when Mom kicks out Dad and your dorm is the only place for him to stay remember you couldv'e stopped it."  
  
Simon stopped, put his head in his hand and turned around. Hesat back down next to Ruthie and Peter, "Fine. I'm in." Ruthie put her arm around his shoulders and smiled at him. The plan was coming together. Soon they'd have it all worked out and Bethany would be gone forever. The thought made Ruthe smile even more. Simon rolled his eyes and pushed her arm off him.

By dinner time they had the plan all worked out. They're family was really gullible so they figured out the perfect lie and they were going to tell everyone, even Eric, about it. They'd all get so mad they'd practically shun Bethany and Eric would tell her he didn't want her living with them. The lie was simple, Bethany was lieing about Eric being her father. She was just saying he was so she could break up the family because Simon broke up with her. Ruthie thought it was genius but Simon felt a little bit guilty. So did Peter but neither of them said anything. They didn't want Eric and Annie to get divorced. Peter didn't want Ruthie moving away, and Simon didn't want Eric moving in with him.. They both knew those two things could very possibly happen. So they shrugged off the guilt and went along with the plan.

* * *

Bethany walked into her mom's room very excited the next day. She was going to ask the doctors if she and her mom could go for a walk in the hospital garden. She walked around the curtain and saw her mom, laying still, looking incredibly pale. Bethany got concerned and sat down next to her mom on the bed, "Mom? Are you okay?"

"No. Bethy, I'm dying." Her mom whispered.

Bethany felt tears coming to her eyes, "No, you're not, mom. You're going to be fine.You can walk, remember."

"Beth, don't. You know as well as I do that I'm not going to live much longer. I think today's the day." Her mom sounded so weak. So feeble. Not at all like her real self.

"Don't say that mom. Don't. You have to believe you're going to get better. You can. You will." Tears started coming from her eyes slowly. Laura closed her eyes, "Mom?!"

"I'm okay, sweetheart." Laura said, "I love you."

Bethany started crying harder, "I love you, too." Right then she felt her mom go limp. Her chest stopped going up and down in the slow pattern it had been doing. There was a long buzzing sound coming from her mom's heart monitor. Bethany didn't move. She just sat there crying. She felt someone pulling her up by the shoulders and she moved into the corner of the room. She watched as doctors tried to shock her mothers heart. But her body lay still on bed.


	8. The Lie

Chapter 8:  
  
Bethany was on her way to her dad's house to tell him Laura was gone. She still couldn;t believe it. Just yesterday her mom died. Bethany wiped a tear from her eye and rang the doorbell. Annie answered. "Oh great." Lucy thought, "Not the evil step mother from hell." But Annie didn't say anything she just turned her shoulder and walked away. bethany rolled her eyes and walked in. She couldn't see anybody but she heard the tv on so she walked into the living room. Lucy, Sam, David, Simon, and Ruthie were all sitting around watching tv. "Is . . . dad around?" Bethany asked. Everyone looked at her and stared. "What?" she asked annoyed.  
  
Lucy got up and walked over to her. She stood right in front of Bethany, "I can't believe you. How could you be so selfish." She looked like she was about to cry but pulled herself together for one last sentence, "How could purposely break apart a family?" Lucy stormed out of the room and Ruthie and Simon followed.  
  
Bethany was completley confused. She walked over to Sam and Davind. Kneeling in front of them she asked, "Do you know what's going on?"  
  
"Yes." Sam said.  
  
"We do." David added.  
  
Bethany looked from one to the other, "Well, will you tell me?"  
  
"You lied." David told her.  
  
Sam said, "You said your mom was sick and daddy was your daddy."  
  
"He is. Why would i lie about something like that?"  
  
"We don't know."  
  
"That's what Ruthie and Simon said."  
  
Bethany stood up. She said thank you to the twins then went in search of Simon and Ruthie. First she checked Ruthie's room. They weren't there. Then she checked Simon's room. They weren't there either. She checked the whole house and couldn't find them so she went up to the apartment above the garage. She didn't find them but she did see Kevin. "Do you know where Simon and Ruthie are?"  
  
Kevin looked up from the magazine he was reading, "No, sorry." Bethany turned to leave but Kevin stopped her, "Is what they said really true? Are you just using this whole family?"  
  
"No!" Bethany cried, "I wouldn't do something like that." She walked up the last two stairs and sat down in a chair across from Kevin, "Do you believe them?"  
  
Kevin shrugged, "No. You just told me it was a lie."  
  
"Thank you!" Bethany said, "I don't know why they would say that. I mean, I'm not a jerk. I don't randomly pick a family to destroy. But my mom wanted me to live with my father. So now I have to. That's why I'm here." She looked down at her lap, "My mom died yesterday."  
  
"I'm sorry." Kevin said, "My dad died when I was younger. How are you doing?"  
  
Bethany shrugged now, "Okay, I guess. But it really sucks." Kevin nodded, "I guess I should go try to find them. Straigten things out."  
  
"Want me to come?" Kevin asked,  
  
"If you want. I don't know if it'll make a difference." The two left the apartment and they headed back to the house. They found Lucy, SImon, and Ruthie sitting in the backyard talking. Lucy looked like she was crying, "Listen you guys. What you said, about me lieing, it's not true! I don't know who told you that or if you were mean enough to just come up with it on your own but it's not true. Your dad really is my dad, too. I never wanted to come here in the first place . . ."  
  
Ruthie spoke up, "Then why are you here now? Why don't you just leave us alone? We all know your a fake."  
  
"I'm here because I had to tell Eric . . . dad something. But you know what. It doesn't matter anymore. I'll go back home and never bother you again. I don't want people to know my 'family' is a bunch a jerks who don't care about anyone but themselves!" Bethany yelled at them. She saw Eric come out of the house, look at her, and she left. She didn't want to have anything to do with them. Her mom was gone, she would just live on her own. She didn't need anyone to take care of her.

Kevin called her name but Bethany didn't turn. She couldn't let them see her cry. She was always the type to keep her emotions inside. Only her mom knew how she felt because they were so close. Kevin caught up with her and started talking, "Bethany, it's okay. Just explain everything to them. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Yeah right. One of them had to have come up with that story. They don't know anyone I know. No one, if that were true, could have told them."

"Ruthie." Kevin said.

"What, you think it was Ruthie?"

Kevin nodded, "She's always playing tricks. Never like this, but I don't think anyone else would have said something like that. Besides, Ruthie's the one that told me."

"Fine. So it was Ruthie." Bethany stopped walking, "That doesn't change the fact that it was said. They all still think I'm fake trying to screw up their family! How am I supposed to make them believe me, a girl they've known for, what, a week? No way would they believe me. They'd trust precious little Ruthie . . ."

Kevin interrupted her, "The Camden's all know how Ruthie is. How many times she's lied about things. All you have to do is tell Eric the truth and I know he'll believe you. I think he believes you now."

"Then why won't he say it? Why is he making it seem like he believes them?"

"He hasn't actually said anything about it. When he found out, which happened today, he didn't say anything. He just got up and went into his den. Just try talking to him. That's all I'm asking."

Bethany thought it over. On the one hand, if she talked to Eric and he believed her she'd be carrying out her mothers last wishes. She'd also be living with people who hated her. On the other hand, if she didn't talk to him and simply didn't move in she wouldn't have to live with Annie, Lucy, Ruthie, Simon and the others but she'd have to get a job, pay the bills, and still have time to study. Or she'd drop out of school. Soon she'd made up her mind.


End file.
